I started this blog in 2009 to document what I ate, what I read, and how much I ran leading up to the NYC marathon. While I did manage to drag myself over the finish line, I have since decided I am not a marathon runner. I have also decided that while running, food, and reading are no longer the centre of my life, they remain an integral part of helping me centre and appreciate my life. They help me realize that it's not that serious...

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Friday, January 3, 2014

My Favorite Place in the World

Palm Beach and the Atlantic Ocean

This morning I went for a walk on the beach. I parked my car on Peruvian Avenue in Palm Beach, bought a Grande American with Soy Mito, smiled and said hello to Rod Stewart, hopped the fence that leads to the beach, left flip flops next to the "Unguarded Beach" sign and started to walk. I walk as far as I possibly can; I walk until the surf meets the breakwater and I'm forced to turn around. It is the same thing I have done almost every day for the past 17 days and the thing I will miss the most as I head home to Toronto today.

Today it was a little bit cold and a lot windy. The surf was so loud than I could barely hear myself think and the sand was whipping against my legs, each grain stinging just a little. It was high tide so I had to choose between walking right along the water's edge and get a little bit wet and cold, or higher up where the sand is dry and soft and really hard to walk in. I chose to walk by the water. I usually do.

Some mornings my husband comes with me. Often its the one hour of the day that we're not with our kids. When I walking on the beach with him, our conversations seems more meaningful. And when we walk along in silence, it seems more intimate.

A photo taken by my husband on one of our morning walks.
How it fair that I have a degree in Fine Arts and he in Psychology but his photos always kick my photos butt?

Some times my kids comes with me. We don't walk as much as play...or at least I watch them play. I know it sounds weird, but I actually get more pleasure out of watching them play then I do from playing with them.

My kids playing on the beach Yes, my son is in the photo twice thanks to the magic of the panorama app on my phone.

When we leave the beach, my kids and husband always rinse their feet off at those little showers they have at there and can't wait to hop in the shower as soon as we get home and wash away the beach. But I don't. I like the little bits of sand that stick to my feet and ankles. I like how the saltwater spray makes my hair and skin smell and feel. I love feeling the beach on my.

Watching the waves crash on the shore is mesmerizing. I never get bored... which is weird since I can't watch an hour of TV without multitasking with a book or my computer or phone. The songs I listen to while walking seem to take on a new meaning. My thoughts are clearer, my emotions run deeper, and problems seem easier to solve when I'm at the beach.